Grilling tool

ABSTRACT

A reconfigurable tool for use in barbequing and related grilling activities. Multiple components, such as forks, knives, spatulas and tongs, may be housed in separable handle halves that can be secured to one another to define a unitary structural whole. In one form, a first handle includes numerous recesses into which one or more of a spatula, fork and knife may be foldably disposed, while a second handle terminates with a pair of tongs. The first handle may further be made up of two separable portions each pivotally cooperative with one or more of the spatula, fork and knife and related components. In a particular form, the handles define an interlockingly cooperative relationship with one another such that together they define a substantial entirety of the tool&#39;s gripping surface. The foldable nature of the spatula, fork and knife is such that they may be retracted into the recesses formed in the first handle to give the tool a compact outer profile.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application61/770,617, filed Feb. 28, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a tool that is usedspecifically for grilling, barbequing and other related open-firecooking activities.

Grilling, barbecue (BBQ) and related open-fire cooking is a popularoutdoor activity. Tools allow the user to turn items on the grill topermit more even cooking. Such cooking is especially useful in cookingbeef, chicken, pork, seafood and related meats, as well as forvegetables and other food items. Such tools often include forks, prongs,knives, spatulas and related implements; unfortunately, these discretetools are configured to perform only a limited number of tasks requiredof a cook. Moreover, trying to handle multiple tools to rearrange, turnand otherwise to foods that are being subjected to hot fires can bedifficult for the cook. Furthermore, storage, transport and cleaningdifficulties are compounded when the BBQ tools are configured asnumerous individual components.

What is needed is a combination tool that can be used for various BBQfunctions, such as picking up and turning over meats or other foodsbeing subjected to the heat of the grill. Such a tool would additionallybe beneficial in helping remove foods from the grill once they arecooked. By integrating various functions into a single tool, ease oftransport, storage and cleaning may also be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a multipurpose toolwill have several different functions specifically suitable for a BBQenvironment. In one particular form, there are two halves of the tool,where each half holds various discrete utensils or related components.The halves include handles that can act as a housing for at least someof the remaining components; these handles may be snapped together withslotted pins, magnets or various slidably-cooperative interlockingfeatures such that when assembled, the two handle halves keep at leastmost of the BBQ utensils contained. Upon the interlocking of the twohandles together, the tool attains a unitary whole construction tofacilitate ease of use, handling and storage in a tool with a single,compact footprint. The ability of the tool halves to be assembled ordisassembled permits these additional components to be added or removedat will, and also facilitates ease of separate cleaning. The handles—aswell as the attached utensils—may be made from wash-safe materials (suchas stainless steel, food-grade plastics or the like).

In one preferred embodiment, one handle has a fork, spatula and knife,while the other handle terminates in a pair of tongs. In one form, thevarious utensils on the first handle may be configured to beswivel-mounted (also referred to herein as pivotally-mounted or thelike); in one form, this pivotal mounting may be spring-loaded,friction-loaded or the like. Additional components may also be used.Such accessories include basting brushes, cleaning brushes, otherknives, thermometers, flashlights, timers, clocks or the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the grilling toolincludes a first handle defining numerous recesses into which one ormore of a spatula, fork and knife may be foldably disposed, as well as asecond handle that defines tongs at one of its ends. The first andsecond handles define an interlockingly cooperative relationship withone another; in this way, when coupled together as an integral whole,the handles define a substantial entirety of the tool gripping surface.The foldable nature of the spatula, fork and knife is such that they maybe retracted into the recesses formed in the first handle to give thetool a compact, easy-to-grasp outer profile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention can be best understood when read in conjunction withthe following drawings, where like structure is indicated with likereference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the BBQ tool of thepresent invention where a pair of tongs project from the end of one oftwo interlockingly cooperative handle halves;

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the spatula removed to bettershow a recess formed in the first handle half, as well as the nested fitbetween the first and second handle halves;

FIG. 3 shows the fork in its deployed position where it pivotallyextends from one end of the first handle after having been separatedfrom the second handle;

FIG. 4 shows the spatula in its deployed position where it pivotallyextends from one end of the first handle after having been separatedfrom the second handle;

FIG. 5 shows the knife in its deployed position where it pivotallyextends from one end of the first handle after having been separatedfrom the second handle;

FIG. 6 shows the second handle with the pair of tongs after having beenseparated from the first handle;

FIG. 7 shows a subassembly of the first handle that includes thethermometer, timer and flashlight; and

FIG. 8 shows the first handle in a disassembled state to highlight itsrespective first and second portions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the grilling tool 1 includes twointerlockable handles, including a first 100 and a second 200. When thehandles 100, 200 are separated, they can be used independently, and whencoupled together, they define an integral whole that makes up themajority of the outer gripping surface of tool 1. The present inventorshave discovered that ease of assembly and disassembly is useful inhaving the tool 1 perform multiple BBQ or grilling-related functions.The use of attachable handle 100, 200 halves that each house within themone or more BBQ utensils or related implements promotes the sort ofrapid reconfiguration that is consistent with this discovery.Significantly, the attachable nature of the handles 100, 200 helps todefine the tool 1 in an all-in-one configuration that takes up littlespace yet retains the functionality traditionally associated with a setcontaining numerous independent grilling utensils.

The first handle 100 includes numerous of integrally connected utensilsselected from the group consisting of a spatula, fork and knife, whilethe second handle 200 defines tongs 210 at one end. The first and secondhandles interlockingly cooperative with one another to define anintegrated gripping surface thereby. This interlocking relationshipfurther defines a nesting structure such that the first handle 100 makesup approximately half of the grippable portion of the tool 1, while thesecond handle 200 covers substantial portions of the first handle 100 tomake up the remaining approximate half of the grippable portion of thetool 1.

Referring next to FIGS. 3 through 5, the first handle 100 includes atleast three rotatably-deployable utensils in the form of a fork 110,knife 120 and spatula 130, the last defining an aperture shaped tofunction as a bottle opener 135. The rotatable nature of theirconnection allows these utensils to be selectively retracted into one ormore recesses 105 formed in the first handle 100 for storage or otherperiods where the utensils may not be needed. The pivoting relationshipbetween the first handle 100 and at least one of the fork 110, knife 120and spatula 130 is such that these utensils are permanently affixed tohandle 100. More significantly, each of the fork 110, knife 120 andspatula 130 define a substantially planar profile; in this way, thepivoting movement of each is about an axis that is substantiallyorthogonal to their respective planar dimensions. In other words, thepivoting movement takes place within a plane that includes—and isdefined by—the planar profile. This in turn permits storage of eachwithin the one or more recesses 105 while maintaining a relativelysmall, compact outer dimension of tool 1 such that an average-sizedhuman hand may readily and securely grasp it.

The pivoting mechanism (not shown) is formed within a housing defined aspart of the handle's grippable outer surface; such mechanism is similarto a slipjoint or lockback such as those used in pocket knives, where aspine-based spring (such as a beam spring or the like) permits pawls andcorresponding notches that are formed between the spring and a rotatableend portion of the fork 110, knife 120 or spatula 130 into one or theother of an open (i.e., deployed) or closed (i.e., stored) position.Thus, the present grilling tool 1 employs a pivotally mounted memberthat is movable into a mechanically locking engagement with a notch/pawlarrangement between one of the utensils 110, 120 or 130 and the firsthandle 100 to prevent movement away from this position until overcome bya user-applied force. Frictional fits between the generally planar outersurfaces of the utensils and generally planar surfaces of the recess(such as through metal spacers or the like) may further promote theintended bias, as can the spring (not shown). In this way, the tool 1employs a spine lock to maintain the one or more utensils 110, 120 or130 in their open position until a user-initiated force to overcome thebias is applied such that the utensils 110, 120 or 130 may be rotatedback into one or more of the recesses formed within the first handle110. The surfaces of at least the fork 110 and knife 120 may also definenail-nicks therein to facilitate ease of the pivotal movement.

Referring with particularity to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG. 7, thefirst handle 100 may define another recess to house a subassembly thatincludes a thermometer 140. A thermal probe 145 extends from one end ofthe thermometer 140 and cooperatively engages a complementary shaped andsized aperture in this recess to facilitate a secure mounting betweenthe thermometer 140 and first handle 100. Close tolerances between boththe probe 145 and the first handle 100, as well as between the sidewalls142 of the subassembly and the companion sidewalls (not shown) of thefirst handle 100, help ensure a relatively tight friction fit betweenthem to further enhance secure mounting. A timer 150 with a digitalreadout 155 may be formed in one of the surfaces of the thermometer 140such that upon placement of the probe 145 into a piece of food, thefood's internal temperature may be assessed. Control buttons 157 may beused to set or adjust the timer 150, as well as switch between displaymodes on digital readout 155. Likewise, a flashlight 160 may be formedinto at least one end of first handle 100, and can be activated byswitch 165. Although FIG. 3 (as well as FIGS. 4 and 5) shows thedeployment of the respective utensil once the two handles 100, 200 havebeen separated from one another, it will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that the nested construction of the two handles is such thatthis separation is not a condition precedent to the pivoting movement ofthe utensils contained within first handle 100.

Referring next to FIG. 8 in conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 4, firsthandle 100 is shown in an exploded view to emphasize that it is furtherseparable into two detachable portions 100A and 100B. The first portion100A is used to house both the subassembly for the thermometer 140 aswell as the fork 110 (shown in FIG. 8 in its stored state within recess105), while the second portion 100B is used to house the knife 120 andspatula 130. Complementary-shaped pins P and slots S formed infacingly-adjacent surfaces of the first and second portions 100A, 100Bis used to selectively secure them to one another to define first handle100 as a structurally integrated whole. In another embodiment (notshown), small permanent magnets (such as samarium-cobalt or the like)may be used instead of the pins P and slots S as a way to selectivelysecure the two portions 100A, 100B to one another. In their separatedstate, the two portions 100A, 100B facilitate ease of user access to thenail nicks (not shown) that are formed adjacent the fork 110 and knife120 edges, while in their joined state, they promote a small footprintfor the first handle 100 for enhanced ease of transport and storage,especially when joined in the nested relationship with the second handle200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the present context, the two portions 100A and 100B of first handle100, as well as the second handle 200 may also be thought of as first,second and third separate handles, each configured to integrally includeat least one of the aforementioned fork 110, knife 120, spatula 130 ortongs 210. Likewise, the attachable nature of these three handlesensures that when secured to one another, they form tool 1 in the mannerdescribed above. Thus, the grilling tool 1 may comprise one of thesub-handles or portions (for example, portion 100A) as a first handlethat has one or more of the integrally connected utensils (i.e., thespatula 130, fork 110 and knife 120) and a second sub-handle or portion(for example, portion 100B) as a second handle that has one or more ofthe other integrally connected utensils from the group that are nothoused, connected to or otherwise formed with the first handle. Thefirst and second handles are interlockingly cooperative with one another(in the manner described above) to define an integrated grippingsurface. While this alone may provide ample structure and functionalityfor tool 1, in an optional form, the tool 1 may also include a thirdhandle with tongs at one end thereof that is sized and shaped to becooperative with the first and second handles to define a nestedrelationship between them. Also as discussed above, the nestedrelationship between this third handle and the other two may beadditionally secured via connectivity hardware, such as theaforementioned magnets, pins and slots or other interlocking mechanism.

Referring next to FIG. 6, the second handle 200 is shown removed fromthe first handle 100. As mentioned above, the second handle terminatesin a pair of tongs 210 that can be used to grip and flip food articleson the grill. In a preferred form, the backbone of the second handle 200is made from a relatively rigid metallic structure (such as stainlesssteel) such that it has a relatively high degree of structuralresilience. In this way, so long as the elastic limit of the metal isnot exceeded, the elongate shaft of the second handle 200 and the tongs210 will be biased into a shape that facilitates the interlockingcooperation between the first and second handles 100, 200 into theclosed tool 1 shape. In this shape, the tongs 210 and the first andsecond handles 100, 200 substantially encase the remainder of theutensils, as well as define the substantial majority of the tool 1gripping surface.

Referring with particularity to FIGS. 5 and 6 together, one or more pins220 may be formed on the inner surface of the shaft of second handle200; these pins 220 are sized and shaped to promote interlockingconnectivity between the first and second handles 100, 200 throughplacement into complementary-sized slot 170 formed on an outer surfaceof first handle 100. Slot 170 is of a generally similar construction asslot S of FIG. 8, while pin 220 is of a generally similar constructionas pin P of FIG. 8. In a preferred form, the elongate dimension of slot170 is aligned with the elongate dimension of the first handle 100 suchthat selective separation of the two handles 100, 200 from one anotheris achieved by a simple relative sliding motion between them.

The foregoing detailed description and preferred embodiments therein arebeing given by way of illustration and example only; additionalvariations in form or detail will readily suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be understood to belimited only by the appended claims.

1. A grilling tool comprising: a first handle comprising a plurality ofintegrally connected utensils selected from the group consisting of aspatula, fork and knife; and a second handle defining tongs at one endthereof, said first and second handles interlockingly cooperative withone another to define an integrated gripping surface thereby.
 2. Thetool of claim 1, wherein at least one of said integrally connectedutensils define a pivoting relationship with said first handle.
 3. Thetool of claim 2, wherein said pivoting relationship facilitates (a)containment of a substantial majority of each of said utensils within acorresponding recess defined within said first handle during a utensilstorage mode of operation, and (b) exposure of a substantial majority ofeach of said utensils outside of said corresponding recess definedwithin said first handle during a utensil deployment mode of operation.4. The tool of claim 3, wherein said first handle further comprises aplurality of separable portions a first of which houses at least one ofsaid integrally connected utensils and a second of which houses theremainder of said integrally connected utensils that are not housed insaid first portion.
 5. The tool of claim 1, further comprising athermometer coupled to one of said first and second handles, saidthermometer defining at least one temperature probe projectingtherefrom.
 6. The tool of claim 5, wherein said thermometer isdetachably coupled to said first handle via friction fit therebetween.7. The tool of claim 6, further comprising a timer coupled to one ofsaid first and second handles.
 8. The tool of claim 7, wherein saidthermometer and said timer comprise a digital display.
 9. The tool ofclaim 5, further comprising a flashlight formed into one of said firstand second handles.
 10. The tool of claim 9, wherein said flashlight isformed into a common detachable unit with said thermometer and saidtimer.
 11. The tool of claim 1, wherein upon said interlockingcooperation between said first and second handles into said closedshape, said tongs and said first and second handles substantially encasethe remainder of said utensils.
 12. The tool of claim 11, wherein saidinterlocking cooperation between said first and second handles comprisesa pin formed on a surface of one of said first and second handles and acomplementary-sized slot formed in the other of said first and secondhandles.
 13. The tool of claim 1, wherein a recess formed in at leastone of said first and second handles substantially houses at least amajority of each of said spatula, fork and knife while in theirrespective stored positions.
 14. The tool of claim 1, wherein saidspatula defines a bottle opener formed therein.
 15. A grilling toolcomprising: a first handle defining a plurality of recesses with atleast one of a spatula, fork and knife foldably disposed therein; and asecond handle defining tongs at one end thereof, said first and secondhandles interlockingly cooperative with one another to define anintegrated gripping surface thereby.
 16. The tool of claim 15, furthercomprising a removable thermometer formed into one of said plurality ofrecesses.
 17. The tool of claim 16, further comprising a flashlightformed into said thermometer.
 18. The tool of claim 16, furthercomprising a timer formed into said thermometer.
 19. The tool of claim17, wherein said timer comprises an alarm.
 20. The tool of claim 15,wherein said first handle further comprises a plurality of separableportions a first of which houses at least one of said foldably disposedspatula, fork and knife and a second of which houses the remainder ofsaid foldably disposed spatula, fork and knife that are not housed insaid first portion.
 21. A grilling tool comprising: a first handlecomprising at least one integrally connected utensil selected from thegroup consisting of a spatula, fork and knife; and a second handlecomprising at least one other integrally connected utensil selected fromsaid group, said first and second handles interlockingly cooperativewith one another to define an integrated gripping surface thereby. 22.The grilling tool of claim 21, further comprising a third handledefining tongs at one end thereof, said third handle cooperative withsaid first and second handles to define a nested relationshiptherebetween.